Band Vs Love
by Among-Stars
Summary: Being in a band is something every teenager wants to do. It's cool, it's fun, and unfortunately when you start to fall for your band members it becomes a little bit of an issue. Follow Gabriella as she learns through music about love and has to figure out which one is more important to her: her love for the music or falling in love? Rated T for now, may change.
1. Chapter 1

Band vs. Love

_**After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music**_

_**-Aldous Huxley**_

Chapter 1

"You guys ready to start?" Chris Bolton asked from where he was sitting behind his drum set. He glanced over at Gabriella Montez who was already standing behind the microphone and then to Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth who were perched on the couch playing video games.

Chad looked over. "Start what?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Gabs wrote a new song, I figured we'd test it out."

Gabriella watched with a smile as Troy got up and went to pick up his guitar, giving her a grin as he passed. She looked at Chad expectantly, who had been looking at Troy in shock when he had stood to leave him.

"Dude!?"

Troy shrugged. "I wanna hear the song," he smiled at Gabriella again, making her blush. "C'mon Chad, we can play Zombie Death Force later."

Chad groaned, nudging Gabriella's hip as he walked past her to grab his bass guitar.

"Ready Gabs?"

She nodded. "As I'll ever be."

**I'm in disarray, I'm unkempt  
And I love it sugar, yeah this is what you do  
When you run your fingers through my hair  
In the morning, I'm feeling like a sexy superstar (wow wow aye)**

**You rock my party wanna make me say (woohoo)  
You're the only one that keeps me singing (lalala)  
I love to smell your t-shirt, I like the way you are  
But most of all I like it like it**

This was Gabriella's favorite part. She loved how she got to lose herself in the music with the guys backing her up and playing behind her. This was where she was at home, even if it was in the Bolton's garage. This is the one place she truly felt at peace.

**I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good  
I like what you do to my hair  
Tousle it, tease it, run your fingers through it, know how you do it  
Now go and mess it up, mess it up  
Baby mess it up, mess it up, mess it up  
Do it till I can't get enough (oh)  
I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good**

As Gabriella let her body rock along with the beat the boys had made to go with her lyrics, she felt a subconscious smile sneak its way on to her face. And surely enough, the guys saw it, understand what she was feeling at this moment.

**I'm un-perfect, so un-me  
But I love it sugar, see this is what you do  
You get my ponytail to sag, my bangs are laughable  
But I don't mind 'cause I think it's kinda super cool (wow wow aye)**

**You rock my party wanna make me say (woohoo)  
You're the only one that keeps me singing (lalala)  
I love to smell your t-shirt, I like the way you are  
But most of all I like it like it**

**I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good  
I like what you do to my hair  
Tousle it, tease it, run your fingers through it, know how you do it  
Now go and mess it up, mess it up  
Baby mess it up, mess it up, mess it up  
Do it till I can't get enough (oh)  
I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good**

Troy continued to strum on his guitar as he watched his dream girl dance in front him, singing her beautiful heart out into the mic. Her body moved perfectly in time with the drum beat Chris had created and it took everything in him to not look her up and down and forget the notes he needed to play, because he knew he could definitely get distracted staring at the perfection that was Gabriella.

**Tonight, I'm gonna fix It up real nice  
My Shirley Temple curls, I want you to mess 'em up  
I'll put on a bow, 'cause I want you to know  
That you've got your name on my heart  
You're wicked bad and I like the way that you do it baby**

Gabriella's lyrics seem to put Troy in a trance as he watched her turn slightly to look at him, a smile playing on her lips as she shook her head playfully to go along with the song. He grinned, looking back down to make sure he was continuing to strum the right notes, but he was finding her pretty damn distracting.

**I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good  
I like what you do to my hair  
Tousle it, tease it, run your fingers through it, know how you do it  
Now go and mess it up, mess it up  
Baby mess it up, mess it up, mess it up  
Do it till I can't get enough (oh)  
I like what you do to my hair  
Who knew that looking a mess could feel so good**

"Gabriella Fucking Montez, that was the best thing I've ever heard," Chris smiled at her, standing up from behind the drums to hold his hand out for a high five, which she returned.

Troy frowned at Chris' interaction with Gabi. Chris may have been his brother, band mate, and pretty much best friend, but it he knew exactly how Troy felt about Gabriella and he ignored his brothers' feelings completely, considering the multiple times he'd continue to flirt with her.

"You're amazing Brie," Troy said, taking the strap off and resting his guitar by the amplifier.

His body jumped for joy when she turned her attention away from Chris to smile at him. "Thanks Troy."

Gabriella didn't see Chris scowl, but Troy sure did and he smirked at the fact that when it came to this, he got under his skin just as much as Chris got under his.

Chad took off his guitar also, slinging his arm over Gabriella's shoulder. "That was really awesome Gab, but uh, can we get back to Zombie Death Force now Troy?"

Troy rolled his eyes, making Gabriella smirk up at Chad. "Yeah, yeah whatever."

Gabriella gave Chad a poke in the stomach and he pulled on her ponytail before him and Troy made themselves comfortable on the couch again.

Gabriella went to head to the kitchen, wanting and bottle of water and was surprised to see Chris following. "So you really like the song?"

He nodded, sitting at the counter and watching her grab a water from the fridge.

"So no regrets in letting me write the songs for the band?"

"None," he smiled. "I like every song you write."

"Great, 'cause there's way much more where that came from."

He smiled even wider at her. "I love that about you."

She glanced at him, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"I love how passionate you are about your music and writing and singing. I've seriously never met anyone like you before and I'm really glad we found you when we were auditioning for a singer."

She smiled, sitting down on the stool next to him and bumping their shoulders. "I think someone is trying to say that I'm amazing," she turned to hold her hand near her ear as if waiting for him to admit it himself.

"What? No…"

"Mhmm, come on, just say it Chris. You know you want to," she teased, walking over to stand in between his legs.

"Uh, I think not," he smirked, turning his head.

She grabbed his face, making him look directly at her. "Say it Bolton."

He shook his head from her hands. "Never Montez."

She frowned, poking his stomach. "Chris!"

"Ow, stop!"

"That doesn't hurt, stop being a baby."

Chris' eyes narrowed and he immediately reached out to grab her tiny waist, pulling her closer as she tried to get away.

"No! Chris, stop, I'm sorry," she screamed out through her laughing, but it didn't work. He started to tickle her, making her body jolt around, moving and rubbing up against him as she was still standing between his legs. Chris was bent over her slightly, still on the stool his hands moving furiously over her sides as her hands went to rest on his chest and her face immediately went to hide in his neck. "Chris stop!"

He laughed, enjoying the feel of having her at his will, along with enjoying the satisfaction of him being the one to make her laugh and not Troy.

"Having fun?" Troy asked, walking into the kitchen to get a water himself.

Gabriella jumped away from Chris and pushed her hair out of her face, trying to calm her breathing. "Oh, hey Troy."

He nodded, the emotion missing from his face at the sight of what he had just walked in on. It may have been harmless, but to him, it lessened his chances with her every time she had a moment like that with Chris.

Chris smiled smugly from his nonchalant position still sitting on the stool. He had picked up on Troy's uncomfortable demeanor as soon as he walked in the room, but it pleased him because maybe this way he could get Troy to back off his territory.

Gabi shifted, feeling the same tension that just seemed to be radiating off the two boys and she scratched her arm awkwardly. "Uhm, I'm gonna go see what level Chad's on."

As Gabriella left the room, Troy closed the fridge and his eyes met Chris'.

Chris smirked. "How's it feel, Troy-boy?"

Troy clenched his jaw, squeezing the water bottle in his hands as well, trying hard not to say anything he'd regret later.

"Gabriella is special Troy. I'm just helping you out here, but I don't think she's your type. You two would never work out. And I don't want to see either of you hurt when it doesn't."

"Oh and you and her would?" He asked, staring Chris down.

Chris hopped off the stool, smiling and walking past Troy, patting his shoulder as he did. "Obviously kid, open your eyes," he said, walking backwards into the garage and shooting him a pointed look along with his gun fingers. **(That's what it is with the pointer and middle out and the thumb up right?) **"Check you later bro."

Troy watched spitefully as he left the room, feeling as if he had just been threatened and seeing his chances with Gabriella even less possible with Chris now deliberately trying to shove him out of the picture. He groaned before catching a glimpse of Chris helping Gabriella win against Chad in Zombie Death Force and willing himself to go in there and pretend as if nothing happened.

As long as he could keep pretending.

* * *

**New story! I may be just a little bit crazy for uploading a new story on you guys but I'm almost kinda sorta done with Fade Into the Background and I'm almost done typing this story as well. Not sure how long either will be yet, but I couldn't contain the story anymore. So I hope you like it and feel free to let me know what you think so far in a lovely review! (:**

**By the way song is Ashley Tisdale's version of _Hair._ Which I in no way own! **


	2. Chapter 2

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_Gabriella Fucking Montez, that was the best thing I've ever heard," Chris smiled at her, standing up from behind the drums to hold his hand out for a high five, which she returned._

_Troy frowned at Chris' interaction with Gabi. Chris may have been his brother, band mate, and pretty much best friend, but it he knew exactly how Troy felt about Gabriella and he ignored his brothers' feelings completely, considering the multiple times he'd continue to flirt with her._

**xx**

_He laughed, enjoying the feel of having her at his will, along with enjoying the satisfaction of him being the one to make her laugh and not Troy._

"_Having fun?" Troy asked, walking into the kitchen to get a water himself._

_Gabriella jumped away from Chris and pushed her hair out of her face, trying to calm her breathing. "Oh, hey Troy."_

**xx**

_Chris smirked. "How's it feel, Troy-boy?"_

_Troy clenched his jaw, squeezing the water bottle in his hands as well, trying hard not to say anything he'd regret later._

"_Gabriella is special Troy. I'm just helping you out here, but I don't think she's your type. You two would never work out. And I don't want to see either of you hurt when it doesn't."_

"_Oh and you and her would?" He asked, staring Chris down._

_Chris hopped off the stool, smiling and walking past Troy, patting his shoulder as he did. "Obviously kid, open your eyes."_

* * *

_**But when you get music and words together, that can be a very powerful thing.**_

_**-Bryan Ferry**_

* * *

Chapter 2

Gabriella walked into her house and dropped her bag on the counter, wandering into the living room to find her dad on the couch watching football.

"Hey, Daddy," she spoke, plopping down on the couch next to him and getting comfortable as she grabbed the bag of chips out of his hands.

Joe Montez looked over at his seventeen year old daughter with a curious face. He'd never seen her come in the house that happy before. "Okay what's going on?"

Gabriella tore her eyes away from the TV to look at her dad again. "What do you mean?"

He took the bag of chips back from her with a look. "You've never been this happy before. What happened today?"

She shrugged, trying to hide the smile that wanted to break out on her face. "Nothing."

Her father simply rolled his eyes, but then widened them when a thought crossed his mind. "Oh no!" He groaned out suddenly, making Gabriella jump at his outburst. "It was something that happened with one of those boys wasn't it? Don't make me regret letting you join that stupid band…"

"Come on Dad, it's not stupid. We're really good and if you'd let us play for you just once then you'd know that."

"Gabriella, so help me God, if one of those boys touched you inappropriately…"

"Whoa?! What are you talking about?" She asked, frightened for his answer.

"I'm talking about one of those horny teenage boys making a woman out of my innocent baby girl. Sweetie, why?"

"Dad! I'm still a virgin," Gabriella clarified, still disturbed by the thought that her dad assumed her happiness was because she had sex, with one of her band mates at that. "Why would…oh my gosh, EW. I would never, Dad, trust me."

Joe looked at his daughter, curiously, wondering if he could believe her statement. She had never lied to him before or given him a reason not to trust her, so why start now. He sighed, running a hand over his face and putting down the bag of chips to rest his arm over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions; I just always assume the worst. After your mother died…"

As her father trailed off, Gabriella laughed with a memory of her mother filling her head. "She was good at that wasn't she?"

"Understanding you? Better than me that's for sure," her dad spoke up in memory of his wife. "That's why I used to let her handle all that teenage girl stuff."

"Well if it helps, you're doing a pretty good job," she complemented, leaning into his embrace.

He smiled, kissing her forehead as she snuggled against him. "Thank you, sweetheart. But please, for the sake of your old man, try not to give me a heart attack by becoming involved with one of those boys."

Gabriella laughed, her face in the fabric of her fathers' shirt before giving him a quick hug and standing up. "I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."

"That's not funny!" He called after her as she went up the stair, smirking in her absence and grabbing the bags of chips, putting his feet back on the coffee table and getting back into his football game once more.

**-XOXO-**

"So they liked your song, huh?" her blond friend asked over the phone line a few days later as Gabriella tapped her pen against her notebook while sitting at her desk.

"Yep, but now I can't think of anything else to write," Gabriella replied, staring out the window as she heard the rustling sounds of her friend over the phone. "Shar, what are you doing."

Sharpay Evans was notoriously known for always being up to something. "Nothing, Gab, chill out."

"Nothing doesn't exist when it comes to you. Now explain please."

"I'm just setting up."

"You're not throwing another party while your parents are out of town again, are you? I'm not helping you clean up this time…"

"It's not a party," Sharpay answered with a wave of her hand on the other line. "Plus, Ryan would help me clean if it were."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "They're gonna catch you one day."

"Psh, yeah right. Ry and I are pros at throwing secret parties, trust me. I'm actually just inviting Zeke over for the night, while I have the chance," the blond bit her lip, waiting for her friend to catch the hint.

"While you have the…oh..OH! Wait, you wanna do that…tonight?!" Gabriella asked, now fully attentive to her friend and sitting up straight in her chair.

Sharpay shrugged although Gabriella couldn't see her. "Why not? It's been 7 months Gabs. I think I'm ready."

"You _think_ you're ready. You need to _know_ that you're ready. Don't rush into this."

"Gabi, I promise you that I feel ready. And how would you know what I need to do, you're still a virgin remember?"

"And apparently up until tonight, you still are. Plus I don't plan on changing that any time soon," Gabriella commented, giving up on writing for the night. "I guess I'll let you prepare for your BIG night. Call me tomorrow?"

"You know I will," she answered back.

"Be safe!" Gabriella warned, causing her friend to laugh. "I'm serious."

"Okay, MOM! I'll call you in the morning. Bye."

Gabriella hung up and placed her phone on top of the notebook. "Shar's really gonna lose her virginity," she spoke out loud to herself. She shook her head with a smile just before her phone rang again and she answered. "Yes?"

"What happened to hello?" the deep voice on the other line questioned.

She laughed at his response as she moved over to lay on her bed. "I don't have to say hello to you, but if it makes you feel better, hello Troy."

His deep chuckle sounded good on her end. "Hey, Brie."

"For what do I owe this phone call?"

"Whoa? I wasn't notified that I now had to have a reason to call you. Sorry, Ms. Montez."

"Don't be sorry; just don't let it happen again."

"Oh haha," he answered making her giggle. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing at all."

"Really?"

"Yes, actually. I just got off the phone with Sharpay and now I'm on the phone with you."

"Oh, Sharpay…"

Gabriella laughed, rolling over and grabbing her pillow to prop herself up on. "Don't sound so bothered when you say her name. I know you don't like her, but at least pretend."

He scoffed on his end. "Why? My mother always taught me to be real, thank you very much."

"She's really not that bad…"

"Not that bad? Gabriella, in 4th grade she put peanut butter in my hair because I smiled at her!" he reminded her as she rolled her eyes.

"We were young. She was naïve and she didn't know you then. It was an honest mistake," she tried reasoning in her friend's defense.

"Oh please. She hated me from the start and you know it," Troy pouted from his end of the phone.

"Get over it already. It was 6th grade. We were 12. Don't you think we've grown past that stuff now?"

When she didn't hear an answer she sighed. "Or maybe not. This isn't what you called for is it?"

"No, of course not. I was just seeing what you're doing tonight?"

She shrugged although she knew he couldn't see her. "Probably a little homework and then I'll work on a song."

"How's that going, by the way?"

She smiled tapping against the desk with her pen again. "It's not actually. I can't think of anything. Total songwriters block I guess. My mind is blank."

"Maybe you need to get out the house. Clear your head. It helps me sometimes."

"Helps you do what?"

He chuckled on his end. "Write."

"You've written songs?" Suddenly this new piece of information caused Gabriella to sit up and pay more attention.

"Uh, yeah. Believe it or not, I'm not completely useless."

She shook her head. "I never said you were, Troy. I just find that surprising. You've never shared any of them with us before."

He stared out the window as he thought of a good response to her. "I've never had a reason to."

"Other than we're your band? Why wouldn't you share them?"

He shrugged and sat up a bit, feeling slightly awkward at the sudden turn of conversation. "Not sure, guess I just wasn't ready for anyone to hear them."

"Does that mean if I asked you'd tell me no?" She asked, hoping for a good answer.

"I don't know Brie, it's not something I'm confident about…"

"I'm sure the songs are fine Troy. It can't hurt to get a second opinion."

"I don't know. I'll think about it if you say you'll come out tonight."

Gabriella moved her head to see the clock on her nightstand. "It's almost 9, Troy. We do have school tomorrow."

"I aware, but seriously. Just for like 30 minutes. We'll take a walk and talk and stuff and it'll clear your head, I promise you. That song will be written in no time. Please."

She looked back at the clock again, thinking about it as the seconds ticked by. What could it hurt? "Okay, yeah. Meet me at the park in 10?"

"Sweet, see you in 10." Troy hung up before Gabriella could say anything else, but as she held her phone in her hand and dropped it down to her thigh, she felt herself smiling at the feeling that the conversation with Troy had left her feeling. As she grabbed her keys and crept out the door, careful not to key her father in that she was leaving, she couldn't shake the fact that her heart was pounding beneath her chest.

* * *

**I also apologize in advance if I might possibly go M.I.A this next week. Move in is Sunday and I'm a little anxious cuz there's a whole bunch going on right now so although I am writing, it's not as much as I'd like to and I fear it'll slow down in the coming weeks, so don't hate me and please be patient.**

******Once again guys, I value your opinions so please REVIEW and let me know what you think. Of course I'm flattered that you're adding me to favorites and alerts lists, but I really would like to know what you think of the story. It helps more than you think to review trust me. **


	3. Chapter 3

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_Understanding you? Better than me that's for sure," her dad spoke up in memory of his wife. "That's why I used to let her handle all that teenage girl stuff."_

"_Well if it helps, you're doing a pretty good job," she complemented, leaning into his embrace._

_He smiled, kissing her forehead as she snuggled against him. "Thank you, sweetheart. But please, for the sake of your old man, try not to give me a heart attack by becoming involved with one of those boys."_

_Gabriella laughed, her face in the fabric of her fathers' shirt before giving him a quick hug and standing up. "I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."_

**xx**

"_I aware, but seriously. Just for like 30 minutes. We'll take a walk and talk and stuff and it'll clear your head, I promise you. That song will be written in no time. Please."_

_She looked back at the clock again, thinking about it as the seconds ticked by. What could it hurt? "Okay, yeah. Meet me at the park in 10?"_

"_Sweet, see you in 10." Troy hung up before Gabriella could say anything else, but as she held her phone in her hand and dropped it down to her thigh, she felt herself smiling at the feeling that the conversation with Troy had left her feeling. As she grabbed her keys and crept out the door, careful not to key her father in that she was leaving, she couldn't shake the fact that her heart was pounding beneath her chest._

* * *

_**All good music resembles something. Good music stirs by its mysterious resemblance to the objects and feelings which motivated it.**_

_**-Jean Cocteau**_

* * *

Chapter 3

Gabriella walked up to Troy who was sitting comfortably on a swing, all bundled up in her sweatshirt with her jeans and tee from earlier.

"Look who actually showed up!" He exclaimed as she walked up with a smile.

"I said I would," she answered. "I always do what I say."

"Mhmm," he smirked at her causing her to lean closer and grip onto the swing chains, pushing him backwards.

"Shut up!"

He laughed, standing up from the swing and bumping into her. "Yeah, 'cause that hurt me."

She blushed, starting to walk away from him, but he quickly caught up.

**-XOXO-**

"So is it working yet?" Troy asked randomly a little bit after they had started walking.

"What?" She asked, turning to him, the mild wind blowing her half pulled back hair all over her head.

"The walking."

She shook her head. "I've been walking for like 10 minutes. 10 minutes of time which I might have been distracted by you."

"Excuse me! This was my idea! You should be thanking me!"

"For what? It's not even working," she teased.

"Give it time," he assured her, hands in his pockets as he looked up at the stars. "You know this is one of few towns where you actually get to see them."

"What?" Confused, she looked up, seeing the stars shining bright and smiled, looking over at him. "Oh yeah, who knew Albuquerque would be good for something."

"Hmm," he chuckled. "Small town, big things."

"More like big dreams."

He diverted his eyes away from the stars to look down on her small frame. "You got big dreams, Montez?"

She shrugged. "If that's what you wanna call them."

Noticing her hesitating and the way she was acting vague, he nudged her with his elbow, wanting her to continue.

"I just…there's nothing here for me, you know?" She questioned. "Not trying to offend anyone, but I just think I could do so much better than what's around me."

"Ready to leave this place behind huh? And everyone in it."

She shook her head. "I don't mean it like that. I love my life here. I love being so close to my Dad, the band, school sometimes, and even Sharpay," she giggled, making him roll his eyes. "After my Mom died, things weren't the same. Sure it brought me and my Dad closer and gave me an opportunity to come back out here and get to know you guys. I'd be nothing without what I have now, but…what if it were different?"

He nodded. "That's always a what if, but if you ask me, I wouldn't want anything to be different."

"Why not? If things were different, Mom would still be here."

He stopped walking, causing her to stop as well and looked into her face, all seriousness. "Gabriella, your Mom was a great person and I can honestly say that I loved her as a second Mom, but if she'd hadn't passed, you would have never come back."

She shook her head. "That's not true. Grams was here and I came to visit every summer…"

"It wasn't the same as having you here all year. When you left for Florida, you upset a lot of people," he confessed. "The summer after 6th grade was horrible because we all knew you were leaving us. And then your mom died and you moved back freshman year. Although it was the worst thing that could have happened to someone like you, it brought you back to everything and everyone you know and love. What could be better?"

Gabriella looked to be in deep thought for a second before she looked over to him quietly. "Someone like me?"

He shrugged. "Someone sweet and good and has all this unnatural kindness and shit."

She smiled. "Thanks, I guess?"

He nodded. "If…your Mom had come back with you that year instead of you having to leave her behind in Florida, do you think that would have been a good enough different?"

She thought before biting her lip with a shrug. "Probably…but I guess we'll never know huh?"

"Guess not."

They walked in silence down the path and near the lake before Troy decided to strike up conversation again. "So does that mean first chance you get, you're out of here?"

Gabriella's thought process had become more complicated at this point. "Not the first chance, but I would like a chance. I want to live out my dreams and get out there in the world. Make a name for myself or something. I can't exactly do that here."

He shrugged. "You can…if you do something scandalous."

She laughed. "Right, like committing a murder?"

"Nah," he protested. "Something simple. Get pregnant by some mid-thirties married man."

She let a wave of laughter shake her body as he stared at her, enjoying the fact that he had brought those feelings upon her with his words. "Yeah, 'cause that's simple?"

"Simple enough for a small town."

She couldn't help but smile at the guy next to her who smiled back with the bright charming boyish smile before she remembered time. She quickly pulled out her phone, hitting the lock button on the top of her Android, seeing the time flash across the screen.

"Crap, it's already 10. We haven't been walking that long, have we?"

Troy shrugged. "Time doesn't lie."

"I gotta go. School, plus Dad's probably passed out on the couch with WWE blasting on the TV."

He nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Do what you gotta do."

The smile she gave him then couldn't have been any wider. "Thanks for this Troy. You helped more than you think."

"It was nothing," he shrugged once again, the move becoming all too common with his shoulders.

She shook her head, grabbing onto his biceps through his jacket seeing as how he was a good 6 or 7 inches taller than her, and pressed her firm lips on his chiseled cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded, his body calming yet bursting with energy from the feel of her lips on his face. "Of course."

"Night Troy," she spoke softly, before turning and heading back the pathway out of the park and down the sidewalk that would take her back to his house. Not ready to go home yet, Troy continued his stroll through the park, his mind completely lost on one tiny girl with a big personality.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Gabriella asked Chris the next day at 3 as they hung out in the music room on the far side of East High School.

He looked at her incredulously, not believing that she was asking him that question AGAIN. "Duh! Gabs, seriously?! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to."

She blushed, sitting on the bench, her notebook with lyrics in hand. "I know, I just want to double check; make sure you haven't changed your mind."

"In the two hours since you mentioned it and I told you yes? We need songs to play, you write songs, why wouldn't I want to listen?"

She shrugged.

"Just sing the damn lyrics, please."

She giggled. "Okay, okay. I kinda had a melody in mind for it already, but I wanted you to hear it first before I even thought about doing anything else."

Chris nodded, impatient that she hadn't already gotten to the singing yet.

"It's just lyrics, kinda rough, so don't judge." He eyeballed her and she sighed. "Okay, here goes."

**No words  
My tears won't make any room for more  
And it don't hurt  
Like anything I've ever felt before  
This is  
No broken heart  
No familiar scars  
This territory goes uncharted...**

**Just me  
In a room sunk down in a house in a town  
And I don't breathe  
No I never meant to let it get away from me  
Now too much to hold  
Everybody wants has to get their hands on gold  
And I want uncharted**

**Stuck under the ceiling I made, I can't help but feeling...**

**I'm going down  
Follow if you want  
I won't just hang around  
Like you'll show me where to go  
I'm already out of foolproof ideas  
So don't ask me how to get started  
It's all uncharted**

**La la la-a-a-a  
Oh-h-h**

**Each day  
Counting up the minutes until I get alone  
'Cause I can't stay  
In the middle of it all  
It's nobody's fault  
But I'm so alone  
Never knew how much I didn't know  
Oh everything is uncharted**

**Know I'm getting nowhere when I only sit and stare like...**

**I'm going down  
Follow if you want  
I won't just hang around  
Like you'll show me where to go  
I'm already out of foolproof ideas  
So don't ask me how to get started  
It's all uncharted.**

**Jump start my kaleidoscope heart**  
**Love to watch the colors fade**  
**They may not make sense**  
**But they sure as hell made me**  
**I won't go as a passenger no**  
**Waiting for the road to be laid**  
**Though I may be going down**  
**I'm taking flame over burning out**

**Compare  
Where you are to where you want to be  
And you'll get nowhere**

**I'm going down  
Follow if you want  
I won't just hang around  
Like you'll show me where to go  
I'm already out of foolproof ideas  
So don't ask me how to get started  
Oh-h  
I'm going down  
Follow if you want  
I won't just hang around  
Like you'll show me where to go  
I'm already out of foolproof ideas  
So don't ask me how to get started  
It's all uncharted**

**La la la-a-a-a**

Gabriella couldn't help but look up at Chris shyly during her last part, only to see him staring back at her with an intense look in his eyes that she couldn't exactly read. "What do you think?"

He shook his head, not believing the voice and lyrics he had just heard. There was nothing to describe it. "You're…the song is amazing!"

She grinned. "Really?"

He laughed at her excitement, leaning a little closer to her, feeling as if he was getting drawn in by her chocolate brown eyes. "Really."

She noticed the change in distance and couldn't help but feel her heart rate speed up instead her chest. It lumped loud enough that she was sure people in China could hear it. As Chris' face inched a little closer to hers, she could only steal once quick glance down to his lips before they were on hers.

Taken aback, but not making an attempt to move away from him, Gabriella let the kiss happen. And when he pulled away from her, opened his eyes and stared back, there was an unmistakable look of confusion written across her face and she uttered the only thing she could.

"What?"

* * *

**Weird ending I know, but I wanted to fit it in there and I wasn't sure what else to make Gabriella say haha. The song is Uncharted by Sara Bareilles which of course I do not own (: Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and be sure to REVIEW and let me know what you thought. Next chapter of Fade Into the Background will be out Sunday btw. Enjoy your weekend!**


	4. Chapter 4

Band vs Love

_**Previously**_

_The smile she gave him then couldn't have been any wider. "Thanks for this Troy. You helped more than you think."_

"_It was nothing," he shrugged once again, the move becoming all too common with his shoulders._

_She shook her head, grabbing onto his biceps through his jacket seeing as how he was a good 6 or 7 inches taller than her, and pressed her firm lips on his chiseled cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow?"_

_He nodded, his body calming yet bursting with energy from the feel of her lips on his face. "Of course."_

**xx**

"_You're…the song is amazing!"_

_She grinned. "Really?"_

_He laughed at her excitement, leaning a little closer to her, feeling as if he was getting drawn in by her chocolate brown eyes. "Really."_

_She noticed the change in distance and couldn't help but feel her heart rate speed up instead her chest. It lumped loud enough that she was sure people in China could hear it. As Chris' face inched a little closer to hers, she could only steal once quick glance down to his lips before they were on hers._

* * *

_**I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.**_

_**-Billy Joel**_

* * *

Chapter 4

"No way," Sharpay Evans pretty much squealed at Gabriella's locker the next day. The brunette groaned, pulling her books out of her locker to transfer them to her bag before turning to her blond friend in a desperate attempt to keep her quiet.

"Yes, Sharpay, but please I'm not trying to tell everyone!"

Sharpay scoffed, dismissing the comment. "No one is paying attention to us. But seriously?! He kissed you? My God, you lucky bitch!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was standing too close to here. "Are you going to keep repeating that? And I wouldn't consider myself lucky…"

"Why not? Chris Bolton has got to be…"

"SHUT UP!" Gabriella freaked, catching the attention of a few passerby's. "Hey," she faked a smile before turning back to her friend. "No names, please. Try and keep this to yourself, Shar."

Sharpay narrowed her eyes at the brunette as they started down the hallway. "You want ME to keep this to myself? I'm Sharpay Evans, I don't keep secrets."

"Which is why I'm wondering why the hell I even told you," Gabriella whined.

"Chill, Gabs, I'm not going to say anything. I would never. But seriously?"

"Yes, Sharpay!"

The blonde's eyes went wide. "Sorry!"

Gabriella turned, catching sight of Chad walking in their direction and thanked the heavens. "Oh, good. Your boyfriends here. Please go talk to him, make out with him whatever, but if you say one word about…"

"About what?" Sharpay asked, hands up innocently as she smiled and backed away.

Gabriella watched her friend warily as she kissed her boyfriend and turned to look at her, sending a wink. Sighing, she sent a wave to Chad as the couple walked away hand in hand and she turned to head to class. This was going to be a long day.

**-XOXO-**

Gabriella walked into the Bolton garage the next day, apprehensive about the day and it's upcoming events after what had occurred the last night before last. She had originally come over to talk to Chris about the encounter they faced, but when she dropped her car keys into her bag and rounded the corner into the open garage, she had other plans.

She was surprised to see Troy sitting alone in front of the TV and the PlayStation 3, neither his brother nor his best friend anywhere in sight.

"You mean to tell me you're playing Zombie Death Force alone?" She questioned, sitting her bag on the table behind where he was perched on the couch as he turned his head to glance at her.

He smiled, turning his head back to the TV and Gabriella noticed instead of zombie guts, the screen displayed a string of multiple sports cars, racing at unimaginable speeds down a track. "It's not Zombie Death Force, believe it or not. I save that for when Chad's around."

She walked around the couch, plopping next to him and picking up the video game case. "Need For Speed: Shift? Sounds…fun."

"Don't mock," he answered with a smirk as she put her hands up in innocence.

"I was doing no such thing."

"Right," he answered, sarcasm just dripping from his voice. "What are you doing here anyway? Thought you would have homework to do or songs to write or even – dare I say it – clothes to shop for with…"

"Oh please," she cut him off with a laugh. "She's honestly not that bad, Troy."

He glared, not looking away from the TV screen. "Must I have to keep reminding you about what she did in 4th grade?"

"And every time you do, I'll remind you that we were kids. That was how many years ago? I'm sure she didn't mean it."

His finger was quick to hit the pause button and he turned his head her way to send her a look. "We're talking about Sharpay Evans here."

"Okay, well…I'm sure she doesn't remember it."

"Sure," he resumed his game and Gabriella smiled at the side of his face. "What?" he asked, not even looking over to tell that she was staring at him.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Come on, what is it Brie?"

"Nothing!"

"Gabriella Montez!"

"That doesn't scare me," she commented calmly.

He went to pause the game again. "Brie, please."

She looked into his eyes, as he turned to meet her orbs head on. "Why do you call me that?"

Troy scrunched up his face in confusion? "What? Brie?"

She nodded, biting her lip as she brought her legs up on the couch and curled them under herself.

He shrugged, the controller sitting motionlessly in his lap as he turned slightly to face her better. "I don't know. It sounds good."

She giggled. "How'd you come up with it?"

He looked at her warily. Brie….GaBRIElla? Do you not see the way that fits?"

"It's just…weird."

He nodded. "Thanks, Brie."

"No I mean…everyone usually calls me Gab or Gabi and you call me Brie. And no one else does, strangely. It's like you have your own nickname for me."

Troy couldn't help staring into her eyes, his vision dropping for a second to scan over her body before coming back up to meet the chocolate gaze. "I've been calling you this since freshman year and you just now mention something? If you don't want me to call you it…"

She shook her head quickly. "I wasn't saying that. I like it, of course. I love that you call me that, I was just wondering why."

"In a way," he started. "It fits. It's different, special in a way. It's a small thing, but it stands for so much. Represents you pretty well, huh?"

Gabriella couldn't help the smile that spread on her face as she looked back at him. "Bolton, I think you have a way with words. You've been saying these profound things for the past week to me. What's up with that?"

He shrugged. "It's easy when you've got an inspiration." He eyes flickered down to her lips again as the smile that was there, slowly slid off. She bit her lip, glancing down at her jean covered lap before looking back to Troy's intense, emotion-filled gaze. There was a sudden change in atmosphere as they looked at each other and Gabriella could swear she saw his body shift closer to her.

A feeling of déjà vu crossed over her as Troy's body leant closer to hers, the heat rising and breath hitting her face with each movement, each inch towards her body.

"Yo!" came a voice as the door from the house to the garage opened with a bang. The two teenagers on the couch, instantly jumped apart, Gabriella curling up near the arm as Troy picked the controller back up and hit play. "What the hell are you doing out here, man?"

Gabriella looked shyly over to the door to see Chris walk in, her heartbeat speeding up from the already fast pace it had been at. When Chris turned to see her sitting next to his brother, she could practically feel the radiating happiness that overtook him with excitement of being in her presence. "Hey Gabs, didn't know you were here."

She looked over at Troy, who had tensed up in his spot and hadn't taken his eyes off the game since he un-paused it. Nodding, she met Chris' stare. "Uhm, yeah I got here a little while ago."

"Cool," he crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the back of his brothers' head suspiciously. "What have you guys been up to?"

Gabriella shrugged, seeing that Troy wasn't going to answer him. "He's been racing and I've been watching."

The older Bolton's eyes flickered between the two, wondering why Gabriella was flustered and Troy was so tense. "Doesn't sound like fun at all."

"Guess it's not," Gabriella answered, her eyes locked on the way Troy was sitting so still except for the moment of his hands with the controller.

"Troy!" Chris called out, waiting until his brother stopped his game and turned to him before he continued speaking. "You okay?"

Troy nodded, not uttering a word, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat as he refused to look in the direction of the beautiful girl sitting next to him. What the hell had he been thinking? Almost kissing her? Stupid!

"Okay…" Chris stood awkwardly with the two, noticing Gabriella's uncomfortable stare towards Troy. She shifted and then turned her head, a flash of hurt running through them that made him wonder what the hell had happened.

When it seemed that Troy wasn't going to turn his attention back on Gabriella, she stood from the couch, hoping to catch his gaze with her movement, but he didn't stir. "I think I'll head home then."

"I thought you said you just got here?"

She picked up her back, eyes flashing from one brother to the other. "Well, I forgot that I've got an assignment due tomorrow. I don't want to be up late working on it. I'll just talk to you guys later."

Chris nodded. "Kay, don't forget rehearsal Friday."

"Course not."

"Bye Gab," Chris smiled her way and when she made a move to leave, Troy turned his head in her direction like he was going to look at her, but only looked in her general direction, eyes focused somewhere near her feet as he muttered a quick goodbye to her before re-focusing back on the game.

She turned abruptly, rushing down to her car to relieve herself from the awkward situation and Chris turned back to his brother once her little silver car had pulled off.

"Get it together little brother," he commented with a smirk before disappearing back inside, leaving Troy clutching the controller with a death grip.

This had not gone as expected.

* * *

**AHH! Chris is kind of an ass huh? I imagine him as a cutie in my head (not nearly as cute as Troy however I do have them coming from the same gene pool) but a cute jerk ya know? **

**Anyway. I have finished Fade Into the Background. For those of you that read it, it is currently 15 chapters but I'm planning on writing and posting and epilogue as well. Just a little something extra before I get full into this story (which I need to do because FIB has been hogging all my free time lately). Oh and I also have a little bit of a surprise, but I will tell you about that in the next chapter of FIB, so keep a look out for that and let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a nice, lovely REVIEW for me to read after crazy load of classes tomorrow. (: Something to look forward to after what is definitely my hardest day of the week.**

** Anyway, again REVIEW and until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

_She bit her lip, glancing down at her jean covered lap before looking back to Troy's intense, emotion-filled gaze. There was a sudden change in atmosphere as they looked at each other and Gabriella could swear she saw his body shift closer to her._

_A feeling of déjà vu crossed over her as Troy's body leant closer to hers, the heat rising and breath hitting her face with each movement, each inch towards her body._

**xx**

_Chris turned back to his brother once her little silver car had pulled off._

"_Get it together little brother," he commented with a smirk before disappearing back inside, leaving Troy clutching the controller with a death grip._

* * *

_**I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.**_

_**-Ray Charles**_

* * *

Chapter 5

"Alright," Chris called out to his band mates that were lounging on the couch Friday afternoon. Chad was settled in the middle, with both Troy and Gabriella on each side of him and none of them talking. The situation was definitely very awkward for the two, but for Chad? He didn't know what the hell was going or nor did he care. "You guys ready to start?"

Gabriella jumped up, making the boys look at her curiously. "Yep, come on!"

Chad turned to Troy, a questioning look on his face. "What's up with her?"

Troy sighed, shrugged and glancing at the tiny girls back as she walked away. "Come on, let's go."

"I wanna run Emergency," Chris stated, looking at the three of them for conformity, getting a nod from Chad and Gabriella and a sigh from his brother. "Something wrong, Troy?"

Troy turned his head, sending a glare his brothers' way and noticed out of the corner of his eye attention of the brunette beauty on the left of him. It was the first time she'd been able to look at him since Tuesday and between everything going on between him and her and Chris, Chad had been the only one he had spoken to in the past 3 days. "Nope."

"Then why don't you cheer up. You're bringing me down. Whatever issues you got, throw them away, I don't want to deal with them."

"Let's just play the damn song," he muttered back with a scowl, making a smirk bless Chris' face and Gabriella bit her lip, knowing deep in her heart that whatever was going on with the brothers had something to do with her. Regardless, she tried to push the thoughts out of her head as the boys all started their instruments simultaneously.

**I think we have an emergency  
I think we have an emergency**

If you thought I'd leave  
When you were wrong  
'Cause I won't stop holding on

So are you listening?  
So are you watching me?

Gabriella couldn't stop herself from looking over at Troy as her first instinct, hoping to catch his eyes as she was singing certain lyrics, thinking maybe he would listen to them and relate, but he wouldn't even look her way.

**If you thought I'd leave  
Then you were wrong  
'Cause I won't stop holding on**

This is an emergency  
So are you listening?

And I can't pretend that I don't see this

Eyes trailing back to Chris at the drums, she caught the constant glances he was sending to the back of his brothers' head, the grin he possessed bothering her. What the hell was this? First Chris kisses her and then Troy tries to kiss her? Was she really that attractive? And to both of them

**It's really not your fault  
When no one cares to talk about it  
[To talk about it]**

Troy's eyes narrowed on his brother, happily playing as if nothing was wrong. Chad looked to Gabriella, the tension just suffocating them in the room and she bit her lip before going into the chorus.

**Cause I've seen love die  
Way too many times  
When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)  
I've seen you cry  
Way too many times  
When you deserved to be alive (alive)**

There was no way this was happening. She was coming in between two brothers; destroying their bond because they were both guys who let their hormones control their emotions. How the hell could she fix this, much less handle it?

**So you give up every chance you get  
Just to feel new again**

I think we have an emergency  
I think we have an emergency

Gabriella was starting to feel a little bit of anger taking over the worry that had currently settled in her bones. Turning to Chris, she made sure that he looked at her and caught the emotion in her voice for the next couple of lines.

**And you do your best to show me love  
but you don't know what love is**

**So are you listening?  
So are you watching me?**

**Well I can't pretend that I don't see this**

Turning her body back, she focused on the unfinished wall of the garage, her body connecting in so many ways with the song lyrics and the beat as she let herself go in the words she was singing.

**But it's really not your fault  
When no one cares to talk about it  
[to talk about it]**

Cause I've seen love die  
Way too many times  
When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)  
I've seen you cry  
Way too many times  
When you deserved to be alive (alive)

Scars they will not fade away

As there was a break in the words for the instrumental solo the boys had so desperately wanted when they had first worked on this song together, Gabriella felt a calming sense of relaxation, as if the couple of minutes that they were playing and her obvious looks and glares had finally gotten the two to calm down and quit the bitter feud with their words and eyes. Soon enough, the beat slowed down allowing for her to jump back into the song and back into her last repeat of the chorus.

**No one cares to talk about it  
(talk about it)**

Cause I've seen love die  
Way too many times  
When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)  
I've seen you cry  
Way too many times  
When you deserved to be alive (alive)

There was a reverberating rhythm going through her body, starting from the floor up as the song ended and she looked to the three boys for their reaction. Chad had a smile on his face, while Troy and Chris once again glanced at each other, blank stares on both of their faces as she searched for a clue to how either was feeling.

She didn't expect Troy's eyes to narrow again in anger toward his brother and then shooting a glare in her direction. Opening her mouth, she went to say something, but he just shook his head, the strap from his guitar being pulled from around his body as he turned and disappeared into the house without a word.

Chad coughed, taking off and setting down his guitar as well, shrugging when Gabriella sent him a confused look. Nevertheless, he understood that there was a problem brewing and made it his business to follow his best friend into the house, leaving Chris and Gabriella alone in the garage.

"That was great!" He stood up, moving to hug her, but she stepped back, a frown displayed, and her eyes a mixture of sadness and anger. "What?"

She shook her head. "You don't get it do you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Forget about Troy; he's being pissy, so let him…"

Gabriella shook her head. "You saw what happened the other day…or what was about to happen, didn't you?"

He shrugged, moving over to the couch like it was no big deal, flopping down and picking up a magazine that had been resting on the arm. "Yeah, so what. My brother tried to kiss you and he failed. Not my fault he can't handle that."

"What is this a game to you?"

He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Not to me, at least."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're not exactly oblivious to fact that he likes you, are you? And I'm pretty sure you know how I feel about you too."

She scoffed. "That doesn't give you the right…"

"To do what? What I done exactly, Gabriella? Other than kiss you, please tell me! Which by the way, I did before my brother even pulled his little stunt on you."

"Chris…"

"It's not like you're not at fault! I didn't see you pulling away either time, and if I hadn't walked in here Tuesday, you would have had the pleasure of saying you've had your lips on both Bolton brothers, huh?"

"What are you saying?"

He sighed. "I'm not saying anything other than you need to figure out who it is." He went to walk away, but she stopped him, gripping his wrist.

"Who what is? This is not some type of dating game. I'm not getting close to both of you to try and figure out which one of you I like…"

"Then how exactly do you plan to figure out which one of us you want? Or do you already know?"

Gabriella looked away, keeping quiet and not meeting his gaze.

"I thought so. So why not make this a fun game of 'see who gets the girl'?"

"I'm not playing your stupid game, Chris," she confirmed, standing her ground, which only made him laugh.

"You might not be, but my brother certainly will. He can't stand to lose…especially to me." With a smirk and a quick kiss to the cheek that made Gabriella tense and reach to swat him, missing because he was quicker than she, he left, leaving her alone in the garage, blood boiling and brain convulsing with thoughts.

What the hell was that boy up to?

**-XOXO-**

"I hate my life," Gabriella whined the next morning as she lay on her back on the bed of Taylor McKessie, staring at the ceiling.

Taylor was Chad's girlfriend. They'd been together for a little over 7 months now and although Chad was pretty much like a brother to her and the second closest person to her next to Sharpay. Even though they weren't too close, when Gabriella was getting too much boy time and Sharpay wasn't available, Taylor would always be her next choice and the three girls would try to get a girls day in at least once a week if they weren't busy. They would hang out as a group too when it was convenient, but the six were mostly together when the band had a gig and Taylor and Sharpay would tag along for moral support.

"Don't sweat it Gabs," Chad said from his position at Taylor's desk, playing some kind of computer game while they gossiped.

"What he means is, 'it'll turn out okay', right Chad," she asked, walking up behind him, her face appearing beside his, a look in her eyes that told him he'd better agree.

He nodded, swallowing with his eyes wide. "Right," he answered before turning back to the game, making Taylor roll her eyes as she went to sit on her bed beside Gabi.

"Have you even thought about what he said?"

She scoffed, rolling over so that she was on her side. "Are you kidding me? I've been thinking about it all night, but that doesn't mean I understand it."

"Well, they both like you, right?"

"They both attempted to kiss me yes…"

She shook her head, with a wave of her hand. "Same thing."

Gabriella shrugged. "It's just weird, you know?"

"Personally, I've never had two guys like me a once, but I could see the problem."

"It's not even them both liking me, but…they're brothers. It's like…against the bro code or whatever, right Chad?"

"Huh?" he turned to them, completely lost, having not heard anything since Taylor's comment to him minutes before.

"Ignore him," Taylor suggested.

"One step ahead of you," Gabriella responded. "I just…it feels wrong."

"Gabriella, two guys are vying for your attention, and no offense to Chad, but they're both cute. Honestly, you have your pick and you can't go wrong with either one of them."

"But…won't that be awkward if I choose one of them and not the other?" she questioned, lip biting becoming a habit lately for her.

"Uh, yeah," Taylor answered, obviously. "But one of them will just have to get over it."

The brunette sighed. "I'm not even sure how I feel about either of them yet."

"Well you're going to have to figure it out. I would say sooner or later, but probably sooner than later," Taylor informed her with an encouraging smile.

Gabriella groaned, rolling back over to stare at the ceiling again.

She was screwed. So completely and utterly screwed.

* * *

**The song used in this chapter is Emergency by Paramore, and no I don't own it although I wish I did because Paramore is awesome!**

**I know I've been slacking guys, I was supposed to have this out a while ago and I haven't been typing on my own but it's been super busy. I've had work up the ass and I went home this weekend and it was just a big fresh break having nothing to do but eat, sleep, watch tv, and see some old friends. But I promise I will kick my butt in gear and get another chapter written. I'm gonna try to post again before Friday but if I don't, there will be an update Sunday. I'm also working on putting another story out at the same time, but idk if it'll be a the same time it might take a while, but you never know so keep an eye out.**

**REVIEW! Let me know what you think and you shall have another update by Sunday!**


	6. Chapter 6

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_Then why don't you cheer up. You're bringing me down. Whatever issues you got, throw them away, I don't want to deal with them."_

"_Let's just play the damn song," he muttered back with a scowl, making a smirk bless Chris' face and Gabriella bit her lip, knowing deep in her heart that whatever was going on with the brothers had something to do with her._

**xx**

_Opening her mouth, she went to say something, but he just shook his head, the strap from his guitar being pulled from around his body as he turned and disappeared into the house without a word._

_Chad coughed, taking off and setting down his guitar as well, shrugging when Gabriella sent him a confused look. Nevertheless, he understood that there was a problem brewing and made it his business to follow his best friend into the house, leaving Chris and Gabriella alone in the garage._

"_That was great!" He stood up, moving to hug her, but she stepped back, a frown displayed, and her eyes a mixture of sadness and anger. "What?"_

_She shook her head. "You don't get it do you?"_

**xx**

"_I thought so. So why not make this a fun game of 'see who gets the girl'?"_

"_I'm not playing your stupid game, Chris," she confirmed, standing her ground, which only made him laugh._

"_You might not be, but my brother certainly will. He can't stand to lose…especially to me."_

**xx**

_The brunette sighed. "I'm not even sure how I feel about either of them yet."_

"_Well you're going to have to figure it out. I would say sooner or later, but probably sooner than later," Taylor informed her with an encouraging smile._

* * *

_**I don't know much about music. In my line you don't have to.**_

_**-Elvis Presley**_

* * *

Chapter 6

Hearing his daughter's sigh as she stood in the kitchen washing the dishes from that nights' dinner, Joe couldn't help but follow his senses telling him to investigate. Stopping just short of the kitchen counter where she was washing, he watched her for a second, noting that she hadn't realized he'd come up behind her.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, making her jump and glance at him before going back to her dishes.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever's bothering you."

She shrugged, not turning away from her dishes. "What makes you think something is bothering me?"

He smiled at her avoidance. "You're cleaning."

"So," she laughed. "That means that something is bothering me?"

He nodded, leaning up against the fridge. "Yes."

She scoffed, continuing her dishes, glancing over at him again. "Dad, nothing's bothering me."

There was a slight silence before he spoke up again. "You get that from your mother. You clean when things bother you and use that as your avoidance of the subject."

Gabriella stopped for a second. "How did Mom handle all her problems?"

At this, Joe figured it would be best to sit. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when things got difficult, what'd she do to help her deal?"

Nodding, Joe looked deep into his daughter's chocolate brown eyes that looked like a pure imitation of her mothers'. "Your mother…your mom unfortunately couldn't help but let the littlest things get to her sometimes. She worried all the time about things she shouldn't have and I always wondered why she didn't put as much faith in her as I did."

Gabriella focused on her attention on her father, having never heard him talk about Elaina like this before. "So how did she get so confident? Mom was like…amazing."

"Well, she wasn't always a worry-wart and she wasn't always as confident either. Your mom seemed to shy away when we were in college."

"You knew Mom in college? Why didn't you guys ever tell me that?"

He shrugged. "We never really got the chance to tell you our story."

"The famous untold love story," Gabriella smiled, getting a laugh from her father.

"I guess you could call it that. Your mom was a bit shy when I met her, you know, but she outgrew that. I think as she got older, she got more confident."

Gabriella smiled, watching the expressions upon his face as he recalled Elaina Montez. "Is that when you guys started dating?"

"Uh….yeah, it was. For some reason, your mother wouldn't, for the longest time, believe that I wanted to be with her and by the time we were getting ready to graduate, I think it finally set in that I wasn't going anywhere. She was my best friend and I was hers and I waited 3 years for her to finally want the same thing."

"Is that when she started dealing on her own?"

He nodded. "She liked to say that I helped her a lot, but I just my presence in a way helped her see that she could do anything, be anything, and make any decisions. Her personality was so…she was everything."

Feeling overwhelmed by the positive and admiring words her father spoke of her mother, Gabriella couldn't stop the tears that fell down her face.

"She never knew it, but she had it in her all along, she just needed someone to bring it out in her and I'm so honored that I was that person."

Gabriella nodded. "I wish could have shared that with her."

"What do you mean you wish? You do, believe it or not. I may not have known your mother when she was your age, but I see her in you every day."

She shook her head. "I'm nothing like that Dad…"

"You say that and you exhibit a little bit of your mom right there. I know you may think otherwise, but honey, you are your mothers' child. That's why I'm always so worried about you; I'm afraid that I could never do as great as a job as I know she would have and I'm sure she would hate me for this, but I love seeing her in you and I don't ever want to miss out on seeing that."

Without a single word, the teenager pushed herself into her fathers' arms wrapping herself tightly around him as he did the same back to her. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest as she basked in the emotions surrounding her.

"Anytime, baby girl. And I hope that whatever problem you were trying to solve; I hope that I helped just a little bit."

She nodded, glancing down at her feet. "Yeah, you did, but the rest is pretty much up to me."

The next morning, Gabriella walked down the hall, a look of determination on her face as she worked her way through the throng of people to her destination. Although she was determined, she was also nervous about how things would play out. Things weren't guaranteed to go as planned and she was prepared for that, but she was praying for a good outcome because she wasn't sure how to handle it any other way.

Spotting him at his locker, she ducked around a few people and dodged the football players who were hurling their football down the corridor and found herself just beside his open locker door. "Can we talk?"

Troy glanced from his locker to look at the beautiful brunette in front of him and sighed, slugging his backpack over his shoulder as he focused on the chipping paint on his locker door. "Gabriella…"

"Troy, just hear me out for a second, please."

Looking at her for a moment, he knew he wouldn't be able to say no to her dark brown eyes boring into his own blue as she bit her lip in nervousness. Nodding and closing his locker, he gave her his full attention.

Gabriella took a deep breath and figured she might as well get it over with. "I have no idea what's going on right now between you and Chris…well, I have an idea but I may or may not be right. But I do know that whatever it is it's ruining everything."

Troy glanced down, wanting to interrupt her, but instead kept quiet.

"There's actually something I need to tell you. I uh, the other day in the garage…you were going to kiss me…"

Smirking, Troy shook his head. "Conceited much?"

"I'm being serious here! Then you just completely ignored me because Chris was in the room and you were acting really…"

"Really what, Gabriella?"

"You seemed jealous."

He scoffed. "Jealous? What would make you think that?"

"Troy, I'm not stupid!"

"And I'm not jealous of you and my brother! Do whatever the hell you want with him, I don't control you!" He went to walk off, but she grabbed his arm.

"Troy! I'm not done here. You know if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be acting so defensive right now."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying about it. I can honestly tell you that my brother likes you, so there you go! Problem solved and you two can go and live happily ever after. Call me when the wedding happens."

"Troy!" Gabriella cried at him. "Will you please just listen to me!?"

"Why? Why should I?"

"Because I'm trying to explain something important to you!"

"What is it? What could you possibly want to tell me!" He yelled as a few people passing stared at the two oddly before moving on.

Gabriella sighed, glancing around before focusing her eyes on the collar of his shirt. "He kissed me."

There was a pregnant pause and when Gabriella finally looked up, she was met with a clenched jaw and cold emotionless eyes.

"Troy…"

"Why would you tell me that?"

She felt the chills run through her body at the sound of his hard voice. "I didn't…I was trying to…"

"Did you kiss him back?"

"No!...But I didn't exactly pull away."

"So what happens now, you're fucking my brother?"

"No!" she exclaimed, the hurt evident on her face as she stepped towards him and he stepped back. "Troy, I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm trying to be honest."

"Honest? Well great job, Gabriella, I appreciate you telling me about hooking up with my brother!"

"We didn't hook up!"

"But you kissed!"

"He kissed me!"

"And you liked it?!"

"I…"

"Have a great life," he calmly stated before turning to walk away, but Gabriella, as shocked as she was by his sudden choice of words, wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"Troy, please! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He kept walking and a few people stopped to see what was going on, but Gabriella was too desperate at this point to stop because of stares. "Troy!"

A few more stares, but Troy kept right on walking as if she hadn't said a word, as if she wasn't standing at the end of the hall screaming for him to listen to her. In his mind, she'd screwed up even if it wasn't entirely her fault.

And now it was safe to say this was not the way she'd planned it and things hadn't only gotten worse, but had gotten tremendously, extremely worse.

* * *

**Hello! Well I don't really have much to say today except I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the next one should be out by next Sunday. Also I'm going to try to post this other new story I'm working on, but no promises yet. REVIEW! **

**~Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_That's why I'm always so worried about you; I'm afraid that I could never do as great as a job as I know she would have and I'm sure she would hate me for this, but I love seeing her in you and I don't ever want to miss out on seeing that."_

_Without a single word, the teenager pushed herself into her fathers' arms wrapping herself tightly around him as he did the same back to her. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest as she basked in the emotions surrounding her._

"_Anytime, baby girl. And I hope that whatever problem you were trying to solve; I hope that I helped just a little bit."_

_She nodded, glancing down at her feet. "Yeah, you did, but the rest is pretty much up to me."_

_**xx**_

"_Troy!" Gabriella cried at him. "Will you please just listen to me!?"_

"_Why? Why should I?"_

"_Because I'm trying to explain something important to you!"_

"_What is it? What could you possibly want to tell me!" He yelled as a few people passing stared at the two oddly before moving on._

_Gabriella sighed, glancing around before focusing her eyes on the collar of his shirt. "He kissed me."_

"_So what happens now, you're fucking my brother?"_

"_No! Troy, I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm trying to be honest."_

"_Honest? Well great job, Gabriella, I appreciate you telling me about hooking up with my brother!"_

"_We didn't hook up!"_

"_But you kissed!"_

"_He kissed me!"_

"_And you liked it?!"_

"_I…"_

"_Have a great life," he calmly stated before turning to walk away._

* * *

_**If music be the food of love, play on.**_

_**-William Shakespeare**_

* * *

Chapter 7

Gabriella sat in the music room after school later that day, completely confused as far as her feelings. She had feelings for two guys, two of which who happened to be brothers and both close friends of hers. How was she supposed to solve this? On one hand she knew that she had feelings for Chris, and she had for a long time, but Troy had always been a great friend to her and suddenly he was starting to seem like just a bit more.

Sighing and pulling out the guitar, she started strumming some chords, letting the beautiful sound fill her ears as lyrics came to her almost instantly. Music always helped.

**I stare at my reflection in the mirror  
Why am I doing this to myself?  
Losing my mind on a tiny error  
I nearly left the real me on the shelf  
No, no, no, no, no, no, no...**

**Don't lose who you are**  
**In the blur of the stars**  
**Seeing is deceiving**  
**Dreaming is believing**  
**It's okay not to be okay**  
**Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart**  
**Tears don't mean you're losing**  
**Everybody's bruising**  
**Just be true to who you are**

**Who you are, who you are, who you are  
Who you are, who you are, who you are  
Who you are, who you are, who you are**

**Who you are**

**Who you are**

**Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?**  
**I forgot what to do to fit the mold**  
**The more I try the less it's working**  
**'Cause everything inside me screams**  
**No, no, no, no, no, no, no...**

**Don't lose who you are**  
**In the blur of the stars**  
**Seeing is deceiving**  
**Dreaming is believing**  
**It's okay not to be okay**  
**Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart**  
**But tears don't mean you're losing**  
**Everybody's bruising**  
**There's nothing wrong with who you are**

**Yes, no's, egos, fake shows, like whoa**  
**Just go, and leave me alone**  
**Real talk, real life, good love, goodnight**  
**With a smile, that's my home**  
**That's my home**

**No, no, no, no, no, no, no...**

**Don't lose who you are  
In the blur of the stars  
Seeing is deceiving  
Dreaming is believing  
It's okay not to be okay  
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart  
Tears don't mean you're losing  
Everybody's bruising,  
Just be true to who you are**

As she finished strumming, she couldn't help but stare into the distance, a few tears falling astray from her eyes. She always thought of her mom whenever she played alone rather than with the band, because the one thing she remembered about her mom was that she was a great singer and Gabriella was lucky to have inherited that among so many other traits from the woman who'd birthed her.

A loud clapping drew her from her thoughts as she wiped her face quickly and looked up to meet the face of Chris Bolton.

Pushing the guitar and side and grabbing up her things, she wasted no time trying to get out of the room.

"Whoa?!" He stopped her from packing up her stuff, grabbing her arm and bringing her flush towards his body.

"Chris, not right now."

"I just wanted to tell you that was amazing. It always is."

"Were you standing there the entire time?"

He smiled. "I couldn't resist myself."

She didn't return his smile, pulling her backpack up over her shoulder, moving to the door. "Figures," she muttered.

"Gabi, seriously, what's the rush?"

"Chris, please! I don't want to do this right now; don't make me do this."

"Do what, Gabriella? Face your emotions? You'll have to do that sooner or later, you know?"

"Yeah, well now is not the time that I want to do that, okay?"

"So then when is a good time for you, huh? Tomorrow? The day after that? Next week maybe?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not going to sit around forever, Gabriella. I like you, okay. There it is, you know how I feel about you, so why can't you tell me how you feel about me?"

"Because at this point I don't know how I feel. And if I try to decipher my feelings right now, I know I'll just end up hurting one of you and that's not what I want."

"We're big boys, Gabs. We know that it's going to happen eventually, so why drag it out rather than just tell us now?"

"Chris…"

"It's just so simple, all you have to do is tell us which one of us you like more and then it'll all be done. Why can't you do that? Why can't you make up your mind?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW! I don't know," she screeched out frustrating, tearing at her scalp. "With you playing games and Troy hating my guts, I can't make a decision and I don't know what I'm doing. This is all too much for me and I'm in way over my heard and neither of you are making it easier on me."

Stepping forward, Chris ran his hand up and down her arm caressingly. "I just want to hear you say you feel the same way I do," he whispered, his eyes boring into her own intensely.

Pulling her arm from his, she averted her eyes, disappointing him as she ran a hand through her already wild hair and backed away from him. "I don't have an answer for you," her hoarse voice whispered back to him. "And I'm not sure when I will, if I ever will. So please just respect that for me. I need space and I need time."

With that she send him a weak smile and forced herself to turn away and walk out, leaving Chris shocked and frustrated as he picked up a binder full of sheet music and chucked it across the room. It hit the wall with and bang and lost all the papers inside as they fluttered down all around the floor, making a mess.

A mess that was very similar to the current situation he was in.

* * *

"I seriously feel like a cold-hearted bitch," Gabriella confessed to Taylor that afternoon in her best friends' kitchen.

Stifling a laugh, Taylor shook her head, spreading mayo on the bread of the sandwich she was currently making. "You're not a bitch..."

"Yeah because I'm a _cold-hearted_ bitch!"

"You are not! You are just confused. Everyone gets confused in life, it's perfectly natural. Plus we're teenagers; we're allowed to be confused, irrational human beings every now and then."

"Yeah, but this is so different, Tay," Gabriella sighed.

Shrugged, Taylor licked the mayo of her finger and went to finish her sandwich. "You sure you don't want one?"

"I'm too confused to eat."

"Suit yourself. I don't understand how someone can be too confused to eat but okay."

"Because you're spending too much time with Chad," Gabriella commented.

"I resent that!" Chad defended, walking into the kitchen and picking up his already made sandwich and pecking Taylor quickly on the lips before taking a quick bite and walking back out to her living room.

Rolling her eyes, Taylor couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend before looking up to see Gabriella's face. "What?"

"He's always here! This is what I'm talking about."

"Come on, Gab. He's my boyfriend."

"He's also my band mate who happens to be close friends with our two other band mates, who I happen to have a serious issue with right now and I'm not sure having him around all the time is the best thing."

"I barely see him because he's always rehearsing with you guys! This is like my only time with him!"

"But it's Chad!"

"Whoa?! Calm down, Gabriella."

Groaning as she dropped her head into her hands, Gabriella shook her head furiously. "I'm sorry; I'm not sure what the hell is wrong with me. There's got to be a serious issue if I'm falling for both Bolton boys at the same time."

Walking around the counter to wrap an arm around her friend, Taylor pressed Gabriella into a tight hug. "There is nothing wrong with you, Gabi. You're a girl who happens to be attracted to two very attractive guys. Do you know how many other girls have had this problem before you?"

Laughing at the way Taylor had worded her statement, Gabriella couldn't help but crack a smile just as Chad called out from the living room. "I heard that, Tay!"

"You're very attractive too, baby!" She called back. "The only guy for me!"

Both girls laughed at hearing him mutter something along the lines of 'better be' back before Gabriella took a deep breath to control her emotions. "I guess I just have to make this decision huh?"

Taylor nodded. "But it's not like you have to make it right away, there's no rush. And if they can't wait for you to collect your feelings, then screw both of them…"

Widening her eyes at this, Gabriella's mouth dropped open while Taylor quickly fixed her mistake. "I mean forgot both of them, not have sex with them. That would be weird and not to mention whorish."

"I feel like that's what I am. A whore!"

"You are not a whore. Far from it actually, more like a pru…" Taylor stopped, seeing the look that was being thrown in her direction. "Anyway, don't feel like you're being forced into this. Take your time, figure out who you feel more for and when the time comes for you to make your decision, if they can't respect whatever that decision may be, then neither of them deserve you in the long run anyway."

"Thanks."

"Although you should probably make a decision before prom….and graduation."

Laughing, Gabriella shoved Taylor's shoulder. "Shut up!"

"Just saying," her best friend smiled back, but Gabriella knew that deep down her words had actual truth. She didn't have much time to make a decision or she was afraid she might actually lose them both.

* * *

**Happy Sunday!**

**I still haven't found time to just sit down and devote a full couple of hours to this story. It's usually about 20-30 minutes or any breaks I might have in between classes. I may have a solution however, because I'm changing my major and one of the classes I'm currently taking (and failing), is the one I'm spending most of my time on, but yet I'm having such a hard time with it. The good part is that I don't need this class for my new major so I might be able to just drop this horrid class. I should have an idea on that by Friday and if it happens that I do drop the class, I'll have alot more time to myself on Tuesdays and Thursdays.**

**Song is Who You Are by Jessie J, and no I do not own ):**

**Thanks for reading! As always, I 100% appreciate you guys and just leave me a quick REVIEW and I'll try to have the next chapter updated as soon as possible.**


	8. Chapter 8

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_It's just so simple, all you have to do is tell us which one of us you like more and then it'll all be done. Why can't you do that? Why can't you make up your mind?"_

"_BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW! I don't know," she screeched out frustrating, tearing at her scalp. "With you playing games and Troy hating my guts, I can't make a decision and I don't know what I'm doing. This is all too much for me and I'm in way over my heard and neither of you are making it easier on me."_

_Stepping forward, Chris ran his hand up and down her arm caressingly. "I just want to hear you say you feel the same way I do," he whispered, his eyes boring into her own intensely._

_Pulling her arm from his, she averted her eyes, disappointing him as she ran a hand through her already wild hair and backed away from him. "I don't have an answer for you," her hoarse voice whispered back to him. "And I'm not sure when I will, if I ever will. So please just respect that for me. I need space and I need time."_

_xx_

"_There is nothing wrong with you, Gabi. You're a girl who happens to be attracted to two very attractive guys. Do you know how many other girls have had this problem before you?"_

"_I guess I just have to make this decision huh?"_

_Taylor nodded. "But it's not like you have to make it right away, there's no rush. And if they can't wait for you to collect your feelings, then screw both of them…"_

* * *

_**Music can change the world because it can change people.**_

_**-Bono**_

* * *

Chapter 8

Gabriella stood at her locker before the bell was set to ring, announcing morning classes. She stood in the very crowded hallway, kids running around, being loud and getting in all their socializations before class, but somehow she felt completely disconnected from every single person standing in this hallway with her. She had her notebook open as she leant against her locker, pen in her mouth as she stared down at the paper in thought. So far she didn't have many words written on the paper and she wasn't even sure if what was already written would be good enough.

**Skies are crying, I am watching  
Catching tear drops in my hands  
Only silence as it's ending  
Like we never had a chance  
Do you have to make me feel like  
There's nothing left of me?  
**

She sighed looking away from the words on the paper and out into the surrounding hallway, seeing all the familiar and unfamiliar faces blurring by.

Taylor and Chad were standing a little ways down the hallway being all couple-y and flirting like they usually were and Gabriella couldn't help but role her eyes at their cuteness. Glancing down the opposite way she happened to see Chris standing with friends and looking in her direction. Feeling awkward, she looked the other way and just happened to see Troy doing the same thing with his friends. He'd glanced up at her when he felt her looking, but was quick to turn away directly after that.

Tensing up, Gabriella felt stuck between a rock and a hard place and see saw no way out of this. Looking back towards Chris, she saw that his eyes were still glued to her, but she didn't have any motivation to will her legs to move closer to him right now. Instead, her legs pushed her in the opposite direction and she found herself closing her locker door, along with the notebook in hand and moving with determination in Troy's direction.

It wasn't until she was standing in front of him that he looked up again and caught her eye, holding the gaze with her as she stood awkwardly while his friends silently excused themselves and gathered away.

"Uhm," she was suddenly at a loss for words as she looked down and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to, but I don't…I hate that this is happening."

Troy stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at her. "There's only one person to blame."

"Troy, it's not like I wanted this to happen. I don't want to like both of you, but I do and that's hard enough for me, I don't want to lose my best friend."

"Gabriella, I can't deal with this. What am I supposed to do if you date my brother?"

She bit her lip, looking around at the semi quieted hallway before looking back to him. "Be my friend. I'm just so confused right now and I…"

"I can't be your friend, Gab. You don't get that. My feelings for you are much more than friendship and I don't want to push you to make a decision, but each day I worry about what you feel is another day I feel fucking terrible about myself. I want you and only you and you don't even know how you feel about me, yet."

"I know that I like you. I know that you help me out when I need it; you make me feel better when I'm down, and you can always make me laugh. I can trust you like I can't trust anyone else, not even Taylor sometimes. That's important to me and I don't want to lose that."

"So you want the best of both worlds pretty much? You can't have it that way. It's one or the other, but not both. And frankly, if I can't have you as more, then I don't want you as a friend; it's too hard to be just friends with you."

Gabriella was quiet for a second. "What changed? What's so different now? We've been friends for practically our entire lives and suddenly now things have changed? Now you want to tell me how you feel about me? What happened to this confession years ago?"

"Because years ago your mom died and you were in an unstable place and I didn't want to put that kind of pressure on you. And then before I could say anything about it, you left! Do you know how much that hurt?"

"We kept in touch…"

"What was I supposed to do? Text you and say 'Brie, I love you, please come back home'? Would you really have listened to me?"

She shook her head, about to defend herself against his statement when she finally let his words travel into her head and stimulate brain activity. "I…you what?" She asked, mouth dropping open and looking at him in shock.

"What?" He looked back at her confused.

"You said…you said you love me."

Realization dawned on Troy's face and he stumbled upon finding the words to speak to her now. "I didn't…"

"Is that how you really feel?" She asked, still caught on the three words that had slipped so easily out of his mouth.

"Gabrie…"

"Answer the question. Is that how you feel? Do you still feel that way?"

Running a hand over his face, his own ocean blue eyes bore into her chocolate brown ones and he opened his mouth to give her the truth. "As much as I tried to tell myself I didn't and that you were gone and I should get over you, the feelings never did go away, so yes, Gabriella I'm in love with you."

She stood for what felt like forever, staring back at him, eyes locked with his, the gaze never wavering. When she finally snapped out of it and pulled her head around his confession, she has moved her feet backwards in preparation to walk away. "I've got to…"

"Gabriella!" Troy attempted to stop her, reaching out to grip onto her arm, but she quickly dodged him, pulling her arm away from his reach.

"I can't, Troy. I have to go."

As confused as she had been before, Gabriella slowly made her way out of the school building, deciding that a day of classes just wasn't important in comparison to how she was feeling. And just as confused and let down, Troy stood and watched her go.

* * *

"Can we rehearse this please?"

Troy and Chad turned away from their game to see Chris standing there annoyed. Troy eyed his brother while Chad stood up warily. "Sure, I guess, but Gabs isn't here."

"She doesn't need to be here, can we just make sure we get the music right. She knows her part."

"Fine," Chad agreed before walking over to his bass. "What crawled up your ass and died," he mumbled as he set up and Troy stood from his place on the couch and neared his brother.

"Look, you don't need to take your anger out on Chad; he has nothing to do with this."

"But in all reality he has everything to do with it. As a band member, he unfortunately has to deal with the band drama too. Plus if she's not talking to us, she's talking to him."

"So what, you gonna use him now?"

"I don't want to do this right now," Chris muttered before turning around. Chad was quietly waiting, not wanting to step in between the brothers business, but Troy wasn't going to drop it that easily.

"No, Chris, we're gonna do this right now. You need to check your attitude."

"You're one to talk," Chris snorted out at him.

"Guys," Chad said, trying to persuade them to stop.

"No, Chad, why don't we let my dearest brother here talk. Say what you have to say, Troy."

"Quit being a dick, this has gone way too far."

"Too far? Why don't you tell that to Gabriella? Oh wait…"

"Son of a bitch, you quit talking about her that way! If you care about her so damn much, then maybe you should respect her decision."

"Are you respecting her decision?" Chris countered, not getting a verbal response from Troy. "I thought so. Maybe you should stop being a hypocritical prick."

"Chris, I'm so tired of this! What is it that you want from me? Are you trying to ruin my life?"

"Oh that's rich! Blame it all on me."

"You knew how I felt about her!"

"So that means I was supposed to stop my feelings?"

"You don't care about her; you just want to piss me off. You've always wanted everything I've ever had. And you couldn't stand to see me have her as a best friend and now you've escaped to a new level."

"Get over yourself, little brother. I don't need nor do I want anything you've got."

"Except Gabriella," Troy sneered.

"Hey," Chad tried to jump in again, but they both ignored him.

"She's not yours! She never was and she never will be. Admit it, you're just afraid that she's gonna fall for me."

"As if, she would never."

"Shows how much you know. Are you forgetting about our kiss?"

"Shut up!" Troy snapped instantly, his fists balling up at his sides in anger.

"Oh, I hit a nerve, didn't I?" Chris smirked with satisfaction at his brothers' reaction.

"Chris…" Troy's voice came out in warning.

"What are you gonna do?" Chris went on, hands coming up to push Troy's shoulders, angering him even more.

"Guys, seriously. Calm down," Chad called, taking off his bass and walking over to the two in an attempt to mediate.

"I wouldn't do that," Troy answered, his jaw tight.

"Am I supposed to be scared of you? You know you've got no shot with that girl, so why don't you just give up now." He was quick to push Troy's shoulders again, just as a figured appeared in the garage.

"Hey Chris, sorry I'm late," Gabriella apologized to the one who called the practice, biting her lip as she came in, wondering what she'd just walked into.

"See," Chris grinned. "She can't get enough of me."

No one in the room even had time to react to Chris' statement before Troy felt the anger take over him and his fist collided with the side of his brothers' face, sending his brother backwards on his butt as he hit the floor from the force of the punch.

Troy was done playing games.

* * *

**Ooooo! Troy punched Chris. In my head, this scene was so sexy cuz Troy just got all big and buff and those muscular arms...okay let me stop before I go too far. I can't remember if I already said this but I'm also starting a new story called The Story of Me and I'm 3 chapters in but I'm not posting it yet because I'm looking for a beta reader to help me out before hand. So if anyone knows a good one or is one, please PM me. In the meantime, I'm looking for one as well as trying to keep up with writing both stories. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_We kept in touch…"_

"_What was I supposed to do? Text you and say 'Brie, I love you, please come back home'? Would you really have listened to me?"_

_**xx**_

"_Answer the question. Is that how you feel? Do you still feel that way?"_

_Running a hand over his face, his own ocean blue eyes bore into her chocolate brown ones and he opened his mouth to give her the truth. "As much as I tried to tell myself I didn't and that you were gone and I should get over you, the feelings never did go away, so yes, Gabriella I'm in love with you."_

"_I can't, Troy. I have to go."_

_**xx**_

"_Hey Chris, sorry I'm late," Gabriella apologized to the one who called the practice, biting her lip as she came in, wondering what she'd just walked into._

"_See," Chris grinned. "She can't get enough of me."_

_No one in the room even had time to react to Chris' statement before Troy felt the anger take over him and his fist collided with the side of his brothers' face, sending his brother backwards on his butt as he hit the floor from the force of the punch._

_Troy was done playing games._

* * *

_**Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.**_

_** -Victor Hugo**_

* * *

Chapter 9

Gabriella and Chris sat in his kitchen only minutes later with Gabriella holding a bag of peas to the cheek of the oldest Bolton brother.

"That was stupid you know that."

"I didn't do anything!"

"You provoked him!"

"Yeah, and he's the one that hit me! I don't see you out there lecturing him."

"I'm not lecturing you. You'd know if I was lecturing you. And if you think I'm not going to go in there talk to him too, then you're wrong."

Chris rolled his eyes. "There's a simple solution to this."

Gabriella was quick to yank her hand away and Chris winced at how fast the cool relief left his face. "Is that all you care about right now? You just got punched in the face by your own brother and all you can do is push this decision on me?"

"Gab…"

"No! You know what, I can't do this anymore. I'm done."

Gabriella threw the bag of peas on the counter and turned to walk away, Chris standing up to follow her. She stormed through the door leading into the garage. With the sound of the door bursting open, Chad and Troy who had been sitting talking, turned their full attention on her.

She grabbed her bag and just by the look on her face, Chad grew worried. "Gabs, where you going?"

"I'm leaving. You guys can sit around here and fight and yell at each other and continue this stupid feud, but I will not be a part of this anymore."

Troy sat silently as Chris tried to grab her arm and stop her, but Gabriella was quick to dodge his grip. "Don't you dare touch me!"

"You need to calm down," he attempted.

"No! You need to leave me alone! I'm done with this idiotic feud. I have half a mind not to pick either of you. With the way I'm feeling right now, Chris you can't seem to understand that I need time and that I don't even understand my feelings myself right now. And Troy, you hate me to the point where you don't even want to talk to me at all and I can't take it anymore."

The boys stopped to give Gabriella a chance to calm down, watching as her chest heaved heavily up and down. "I'm not…I won't be at practice…"

"WHAT?!" All three guys let their mouths drop at her confession.

"I can't do this right now, so I'm taking a break. Don't call me, don't talk to me at school. I need time from all of you and I can't focus on making music; on being part of this band while we've got all this unnecessary drama going on."

With that she turned on her heel and walked right of out the garage, leaving them staring at her back as she departed.

Gabriella was lying across her bed when Taylor walked into her bedroom later that evening. Without a word from either of them, Taylor closed the door behind her and sat down at the desk chair while Gabriella sat up Indian style to face her best friend.

"I'm guessing you already know," Gabriella said, biting her lip.

Taylor nodded. "Chad called me freaking out about it. Said you were pretty angry and he was sure that you might have been going through some type of PMS thing."

Shaking her head, Gabriella sighed. "Why is it always about PMS whenever I'm feeling like shit?"

Taylor shrugged. "It's Chad, I wouldn't give it that much thought. What I really care about is learning what happened? Why'd you essentially quit?"

"I didn't really quit."

"You don't them not to speak to you or contact you in any way possible and that you wouldn't be a part of the band indefinitely. Basically that's quitting."

"I'm going to come back, I just need some time right now. Think of it as a leave of absence."

"Okay, so what sparked this sudden leave of absence?"

Gabriella shrugged. "It was all just really too much for me. I'm not sure if Chad told you, but when I walked into practice today, Troy punched Chris. He said about me, most likely provoking him, and I think Troy just lost it. I just feel that at this point, me being around them is no good, especially if I'm causing fights between them. They're brothers Taylor, they shouldn't be arguing over a girl."

"If you think you're just a girl to both of them, then you're wrong. I can honestly tell you that you mean a lot to both of them, but taking yourself out of the situation is not going to help solve it. If you really want this shit to stop, you need to talk to them, both of them at the same time. They need to know how you really, whether you like it or not, you have to make a decision."

"I'm not even sure how to do that. How do I decide between two sweet, good looking guys that happen to brothers that both like me? How can I distinguish my feelings and who I like better? What makes one of them better for me than the other?"

"It's all about following your heart sweetie. You have to evaluate each of them without the other and figure out which one is a better fit for you and what you want in a guy. The important thing is you can't make that decision until you are 100% sure about your feelings and what you want."

Gabriella nodded, a million thoughts running through her head. "Can I…will you judge me if I throw an idea out there?"

Taylor's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Of course not, you know that. What are you thinking?"

"It's like you said. I can't make a decision until I know how I feel 100% and I won't know that until I can really understand both of them individually. So what if I…if I were to go on a date. A date with each of them."

Gabriella walked down the halls of East High School the next day, feeling more confident that she had been lately. Thanks to Taylor, she had this all planned out. There was a solution to her problem. Whether it would work or not, she wasn't sure, but she was more than happy to try.

Walking past Troy who was, as usual, ignoring her at his locker, she stepped around the girl Chris had been talking to and stood directly in his line of vision.

Chris smirked. "To what do I owe this visit? Thought you were pissed at me?"

Gabi rolled her eyes. "Pick me up at 8 tonight."

Confused as ever, and no to concerned about the angry girl Gabriella had interrupted, who had by now stormed away, Chris leaned against his locker, giving her his full attention. "For?"

"Our date," she replied simply, with a teasing smile. "You pick the place, but just make sure you're not late."

"And what has sparked this sudden change of heart? Realized you can't get enough of me..?" He stepped forward to flirt with her but her hand immediately stopped him.

"Don't get cocky, it's just a date. And whatever you do….make sure you tell your brother." With that Gabriella sauntered off down the hall, leaving Chris staring at her retreating figure in both confusion and lust.

Oh, game on.

* * *

**OOOOOH! Gabi's getting spicy! lol Okay so I know I may be slowing down with these updates but I'm slowly nearing the end of my first semester so the work is getting heavier now more than ever so I apologize in advance.**

**For those of you that haven't already, I posted another story (The Story of Me) and I'd appreciate it if you guys would go check it out. Leave me a review on what you think, add me to the alert list, favprites list whatever! I should have the next chapter of that out tomorrow. So in the meantime I'm going to try to multitask on both of those stories as well as do laundry, grocery shopping, and get my English paper done.**

**Thanks for reading! REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_No! You know what, I can't do this anymore. I'm done. I'm not…I won't be at practice…"_

"_WHAT?!" All three guys let their mouths drop at her confession._

"_I can't do this right now, so I'm taking a break. Don't call me, don't talk to me at school. I need time from all of you and I can't focus on making music; on being part of this band while we've got all this unnecessary drama going on."_

_**xx**_

_Gabriella nodded, a million thoughts running through her head. "Can I…will you judge me if I throw an idea out there?"_

_Taylor's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Of course not, you know that. What are you thinking?"_

"_It's like you said. I can't make a decision until I know how I feel 100% and I won't know that until I can really understand both of them individually. So what if I…if I were to go on a date. A date with each of them."_

* * *

_**Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.**_

_** -Ludwig van Beethoven**_

* * *

Chapter 10

Gabriella sighed as she fidgeted with the hem on the bottom of the dress she'd put on. Leaning against the kitchen counter, her nerves were starting to get the best of her. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Was it too late to back out?

"What are you doing?"

Gabi jumped, startled and turned to see her father, beer in hand staring at her. She quickly shook her head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

She nodded.

"Is that why you're standing in the kitchen in a dress, looking like you're afraid of something? Is there something you need to tell me?"

"No, Dad, everything's fine."

He started at her a minute longer, not believing that. "Are you pregnant?" he asked suddenly, making Gabriella's mouth drop.

She scrunched up her face in disbelief as her Dad looked on, waiting for an answer. "Are you…no Dad, I'm not pregnant. Who would I even be pregnant by?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, teenagers these days…"

"Dad, I'm not sleeping around trust me. I'm not even sleeping at all. You know with other people, that's…the furthest thing from my mind right now."

"Are you sure? You've never…"

He trailed off and Gabriella closed her eyes knowing where his question had been heading. "Let's put it this way, Dad, my virginity is very much still intact okay?"

Staring for a moment more, he nodded before taking a swig of his beer and then turning to return to the living room.

Rolling her eyes as he walked away, Gabriella was glad for the awkward distraction from her current worries. But that didn't last long because a moment later, the doorbell rang and Gabriella had to take a deep breath before grabbing her bag and jean jacket before heading toward the front door.

"I'm heading out Dad, I'll be home before curfew," she called out as she passed the entrance to the living room.

"Can you…make sure that uh..what's intact stays intact please?" He asked without looking at her.

Biting her lip, Gabi nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem, love you."

As she opened the door to reveal Chris, she heard a faint 'I love you' back before she took in the appearance of the older Bolton on her doorstep. "Hi."

He nodded with a smile. "Hey, you look hot."

_Hot?_ She thought. _I would prefer you tell me I look beautiful._ She quickly shook off his comment and replied with a quiet thank you as she closed the door behind her and he led her to his car.

They rode in silence for a while, before Chris turned on the radio, a loud rock song blasting from the speakers. Shocked by the suddenly noise, Gabriella leaned away from the radio and more towards the window. Not once did Chris notice her uncomfort, but just nodded along with the song as he drove.

Sneaking a glance at him, a million thoughts ran through Gabriella's mind, but when she turned back to the window, the last thought was of it being a long night ahead.

It didn't surprise Gabriella when Chris pulled the car up to the fanciest restaurant in town, _La Fontana_. It was no surprise that the Bolton's weren't exactly struggling in life, so mostly Chris and Troy got what they wanted as long as if wasn't to the extreme. She watched as Chris cut off the ignition, threw her a smile and then got out, handing the keys over to the valet guy waiting there. She watched as he walked over to the reception stand with the umbrella and spoke to the woman.

_Is he serious?_ _He didn't even open my door. _It was then she noticed the valet guy looking at her expectantly and she realized she needed to get out of the car. Sighing, she opened her door and stepped out, closing it and walking around and up to the stand to a waiting Chris.

"You okay? What took you so long to get out?"

She faked a smile. "Just making sure my makeup was okay."

He raised his eyebrows. "Looks fine to me. You're hot Gabs, don't worry about it."

_There he goes with that hot again. I guess I should be flattered, but I'm not._

It didn't take them long to be seated and almost immediately, Chris launched himself into a story. Multiple stories to be exact. Throughout the course of the appetizer and the entrée, he had taken it upon himself to talk freely about the band and where he wanted to take them next as far as a career goes. While nodded and smiling along like she actually cared, Gabriella learned that he had been talking to a producer and was in the works with getting the band into a studio and booking some gigs for them at local spots.

Dessert hadn't been much different and Gabriella had found herself much more interested in the crème brule topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce in front of her than any of the words spewing from Chris' mouth.

About an hour or so later, Gabriella watched as Chris pulled the car up along the curb in front of her house and placed the car in park. He hadn't turned it off, but instead turned to her and reached for her cheek as he leaned in.

"Chris…"

"Hmm?" He questioned, his eyes closed and his face inches from hers.

"Can you…can you not kiss me, please."

Sitting back, Chris looked at her confused. "C'mon, don't tell me you don't kiss on the first date?"

Gabriella's eyes widened, clearly upset and offended by his choice of words. Chris noticing the look, put his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Are you sure about that one?"

"Look, Gabi…"

"Actually, I think it's time for me to go inside," she cut him off, looking at him expectantly.

He looked back at her as her face fell when he didn't move. "What?"

She scoffed, and grabbed the door handle fiercely, opening it and stepping out without another word. She had started to walk up the walkway to the porch, when he rolled down his window and called out to her.

"I don't get why you're upset with me!"

Turning, she walked back to the car and bent down so she was staring at him directly through the open window. "If you don't get it now, then you won't. Thanks for the realization, Chris."

He watched her in confusion and she angrily stomped up the front walk and disappeared into the house without as much as another glance in his direction. Rolling his eyes, he put the car in drive, preparing to pull off. With one last confusing look at the house, he sighed and muttered under his breath.

"Must be PMSing."

* * *

"Was it really that bad?" Taylor whispered to her the next day as the two sat in the almost empty library during free period.

"Taylor when I say that I've never met anyone more self-centered before I was NOT joking."

"But you know that's Chris. That how he acts most days and you knew that when you wanted to go on a date."

Shrugging, Gabriella bit her lip. "I guess I figured his personality would be different when he was dealing with girls, especially potential girlfriends."

Taylor smirked. "So I guess that means Troy's got an instant in. He's like your best friend, and I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a better date with him."

"That's if he talks to me."

"Why wouldn't he talk to you?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "My track record with him so far isn't that great."

"You never know. Give it a shot."

"I don't even know how I feel about him anyway."

"And that's what the date is for Montez. C'mon get with the program, this was your idea!"

"I know! I just can't help but feeling like it's going to backfire on me."

Taylor nodded and went to respond, but was cut off by the loud banging of the library doors opening. The few people in there, the librarian, and the girls all turned their attention to the door, where a sweaty and basketball uniform clad Chad and Troy walked in.

"Troy," they heard Chad's voice as he tried to talk to his visibly angry friend. "I don't think this is the right place or time to do this." But it was clear Troy wasn't listening as he made a beeline for Taylor and Gabriella.

"Is this your idea of solving the problem?" Troy asked, his focus on Gabriella as he reached the table they occupied.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be a free period practice?" Taylor questioned.

Troy ignored her question. "I take it this is how you tell me you made your decision?"

Gabriella looked up at him, shocked and confused momentarily, before she realized her mistake. Chris.

"_Don't get cocky, it's just a date. And whatever you do….make sure you tell your brother."_

"Troy it wasn't like that."

"Really? So you didn't go out with my brother last night."

"Troy…"

"You know I can't believe I ever thought about getting involved with you. Clearly you don't care about others feelings."

"I care, Troy. But at this point, I'm trying to understand feelings first."

"I didn't know that it meant hurting others in the process. If that's so, then forget everything."

"Troy it's really complicated. I needed a chance to figure out what I wanted."

"So what were you gonna do, date both of us?"

Gabriella glanced at Taylor who looked to Chad, who was staring back at Gabriella and Troy. At her silence, Troy looked to their friends and realization dawned on him. "That's what you wanted to do, wasn't it?"

"Troy…"

"And how exactly was that going to work out? Were you going to compare? See which brother is better?"

"It wasn't going to be anything like that."

"Really? 'Cause I think it was. What makes you think that I'd want my brothers' leftovers?"

"Stop thinking of it that way," Gabriella protested.

"That's the only way I can see it! You know I thought I had faith in you and I was actually going to apologize, but now you're acting like a slut!"

"Troy!" Taylor exclaimed in surprise. At the look on Gabriella's face, Troy knew he had hit a nerve and as terrible as it was, he smirked, feeling happy that he had hurt her in the way she'd hurt him. He wanted her to feel the pain he felt when he found out she'd gone out with his brother.

"C'mon man, we need to go," Chad said, trying to push Troy away from the girls, but he stood his ground, staring down a now dejected looking Gabriella.

"Is that what you really think of me?" She questioned in a small voice.

"I have no other way to think. You did this." She looked up to meet his gaze sullenly. "You ruined our friendship. I don't want anything to do with you, so by all means if you want to go fuck my brother now, go ahead. I'm happy for you, you can finally get what you want."

With that he turned on his heel, leaving the three standing behind him. Chad turned to Gabi, an apologetic look on his face, ready to console her in the wake of his best friends' word, but she just shook her head, silently telling him to go after his friend. Chad hesitated, seeing the tears building up in her eyes, but when Taylor placed a hand on his arm and nodded in the direction Troy just left, he knew that by the look on her face she would handle it the best to her ability and he quickly jogged out of the library.

"Gabriella," Taylor spoke quietly once the boys were gone, aware of the eyes focused on the two.

"It's fine," the young brunette dismissed her friend quickly with a hand before wiping briskly at her fallen tears. She gathered her books quietly and turned to the concerned girl with a forced smile. "I'm gonna go to my locker before the next class starts."

And before she had a chance to respond, Taylor was forced to watch the retreating back of her best friend as she escaped out of the library and the watchful eyes. Taylor looked around at the people still staring and quickly her anger grew. "What are you all staring at?"

Quickly, the eyes looked away and focused back on tasks of their own as Taylor slumped down in the chair and sighed as she stared at the open page in her Chemistry textbook. This was way beyond her help and way beyond fixable at this point.

* * *

**Another chapter! A little bit late but I do apologize. I been having some personal issues I've been trying to deal with. I finally got a break mid-week but this weekend I'll be going home and handling some more personal stuff so I'll try to update Friday but no promises. Next update will be The Story of Me for those who read, and if not updated this weekend, I'll try to do so Monday. So REVIEW! And I shall grace you guys with a new update soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

Band vs. Love

_**Previously**_

"_Chris…"_

"_Hmm?" He questioned, his eyes closed and his face inches from hers._

"_Can you…can you not kiss me, please."_

_Sitting back, Chris looked at her confused. "C'mon, don't tell me you don't kiss on the first date?"_

"_Actually, I think it's time for me to go inside."_

_He looked back at her as her face fell when he didn't move. "What? I don't get why you're upset with me!"_

_Turning, she walked back to the car and bent down so she was staring at him directly through the open window. "If you get now, then you won't. Thanks for the realization, Chris."_

_**xx**_

"_Is this your idea of solving the problem?" Troy asked, his focus on Gabriella as he reached the table they occupied._

"_Troy it wasn't like that."_

"_Really? So you didn't go out with my brother last night."_

"_It wasn't going to be anything like that."_

"_Really? 'Cause I think it was. What makes you think that I'd want my brothers' leftovers?"_

"_Stop thinking of it that way," Gabriella protested._

"_That's the only way I can see it! You know I thought I had faith in you and I was actually going to apologize, but now you're acting like a slut! You ruined our friendship. I don't want anything to do with you, so by all means if you want to go fuck my brother now, go ahead. I'm happy for you, you can finally get what you want."_

* * *

_**Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.**_

_**-Victor Hugo**_

* * *

Chapter 11

Gabriella walked down the hall keeping her head down as she cradled her books to her chest. There were stares and whispers all around her as she made her way to her first class, not bothering to stop by her locker along the way. It was clear by now that word had spread and she was the talk of East High school. And to make matters worse, she wasn't just receiving hate behind her back, but she was getting tweets and Facebook messages about how she was a horrible person and how much of a slut she was for what she'd done to Troy and for what people thing happened with Chris.

Of course, no one knew the truth, but she wasn't about to sit around and argue with people who didn't know her or her life. That would be pointless because they were still gonna talk and say whatever they wanted about her.

Trying hard to avoid actually listening and paying attention to the words being whispered about her, Gabriella ducked and dodged past people, following the floor as her guide to class. And of course that wasn't so successful because minutes later she started bumping into people who didn't feel she was important enough to move, but that wasn't enough for her to life her head and show her face.

Just when she estimated that she was just steps from homeroom, there was one particularly hard hit. Her books slipped and fell out all over the floor as she hurriedly bent down to pick them up, noticing that the person she'd hit just stood there. The familiar looking vans didn't move, but stayed in that one spot, causing Gabriella to lift her head out of curiousity and gasp in terror as well as nervousness.

Gabriella stood slowly, the lip biting starting as she cast her eyes upward beneath her eyelashes to face the face of death. Not really death, but just the last person she wanted to see right now, knowing he didn't want to see her either.

She took in his figure slowly, gauging his reaction as he looked everywhere but at her.

"You okay?" his husky voice asked her as he stared at the poster on the wall talking about prom.

Gabriella couldn't do anything but nod helplessly, still staring at him, hoping, almost willing he would say something else. When he didn't, and they just stood there, she figured she'd take her chance before he did walk away. "Troy, I…"

He instantly shook his head, his cold ice blue eyes meeting hers for a fraction of a section. "Gabriella…no. Not right now."

"I just wanted to explain myself…"

He shook his head again. "I can't," he answered painfully, swallowing and meeting her eyes again. "I'm sorry."

And without another word, Troy moved around her and continued on down the hall. She turned to watch him, the dark wash jeans and gray hoodie disappearing down the hall. As she watched him go, Gabriella noticed their interaction had caught the attention of most of the hall and she sighed before whipping around and quickly bolting into class before she could hear any more worse rumors about herself. There was no doubt in her mind about her long day ahead.

When Gabriella got home that afternoon, she was surprised to see her father's car in the driveway. He usually had 3 days a week he would work late and today should have been one of those days.

"Daddy?"

"In here," she heard from the living room. She walked in to see him in his usual spot in front of the TV, on the couch, game on TV, and a beer in hand.

"Do any work today?"

He shrugged, patting the cushion next to him. "They didn't need me, so I came home early."

She nodded, scooting next to him and staring mindlessly at the TV for a few moments.

"Okay, what's up?" her dad asked.

"Hmm?" Gabriella tore her attention away from the TV to face her father, feining dumb, wondering just how much he thought he knew.

"Don't give me that. I've told you many times before you give that same look your mom does when there's something bothering her. What's up?"

Gabriella sighed. "I'm…having boy troubles."

His eyes widened and he tensed for a second before he relaxed his body back into the couch. "Guess I knew it would happen sometime….what kind of boy troubles?"

"Well…I have feelings for this guy…or at least I think I did. But then I also have feelings for another guy who's really close to the first guy."

She paused to contemplate what to tell him next and he looked at her expectantly. "So?"

"I'm just…I'm not sure how I feel about either one of them, but I don't wanna hurt them. I don't want to choose one guy and be sure about my feelings for him and then hurt his friend. But according to them, that's how they want it to be."

Joe cleared his thought as he thought about what to say to his daughter. "Well…baby I…"

Gabriella noticed the paused and looked to her father's uncomfortable face and smiled. "It's okay Dad. I get it if this is too weird for you."

"No," he protested quickly. "It's not weird, I just want to be able to be there for you. I want you to come to me for advice, to know that you have someone here to listen."

She nodded. "Yeah, but you have to admit, it is a little weird."

Her father nodded in agreement. "Okay, yeah it's weird. I'm just not good with this kind of stuff. I'm supposed to be the one telling you to stay away from boys, not giving you boy advice."

"I get it Dad. You wouldn't be a Dad if you didn't freak about boys."

He chuckled lightly. "I'm glad you get it. I just don't want you to think you can't talk to me."

"I know. You'll always be there when I need you for Dad stuff…but this isn't Dad stuff." Gabriella sighed as her father agreed with her again. "Let's just agree that I won't come to you with this type of stuff, you won't pretend to be interested and know what to say and I won't get mad when you want to do your overprotective Dad stuff, deal?"

Another laugh. "Deal? You know you're a smart kid. I like that."

"Just like my old man," she teased.

"Well," he scoffed. "That also means you're strong and independent too."

Gabriella smiled and stood up to head to her room, stopping briefly when he called out to her.

"El, whatever it is, I know you'll be able to handle it and it'll be okay."

She nodded, biting her lip. "See! I thought you said you didn't know what to say."

Joe smirked with Gabriella smiled, thankful that her father always made things better whether he knew it or not. He just had that fatherly thing about him that made everything so much better.

* * *

**Surprise! I know. This chapter was definitely not expected, especially not by me, but I had some free time today in which I worked on another chapter to the point where I was comfortable posting the newest chapter for you guys. So hope you enjoyed and don't forget to leave me a quick REVIEW of kind words for my story writing soul.**


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